black lung

Federal inaction has contributed to the premature deaths of thousands of miners from pneumoconiosis. A new rule would cut the current limit for silica exposure in half, but skepticism and concern remain.

More than 2,000 miners in Appalachia are dying from an advanced stage of black lung. NPR and Frontline have found the government had multiple warnings and opportunities to protect them, but didn't.

The federal agency that certifies physicians who diagnose black lung confirms it was not consulted, while medical groups call for repeal of the state law that they say will hurt sick coal miners.

There's a change in Kentucky law that puts diagnoses of the deadly coal miners' disease black lung mostly in the hands of physicians who typically work for coal companies.

The cluster, found in central Appalachia and first reported by NPR, indicates that a disease once thought to be on the decline is still a common killer among coal miners.